1/15/22 – 1/23/22
by Ken Wenzel, Trip Leader
After a wild start to our winter and then warm wet weather, I was a little concerned about heading to Montana, but we were happy to see a fair amount of snow. We started our seven days of skiing at Mt. Spokane Nordic. We arrived during the winter festival and sampled the great variety of well-groomed trails with blue skies and temps in the upper 20s. We skied about 10 miles and found it worth a visit.
The next day, we drove to Round Meadow Nordic area just northwest of Whitefish, where freshly groomed trails made for an easy ski through some valley timber and meadows.
On day three, we shuttled to Big Mt. Nordic and skied an eight-mile trail on a groomed Forest Road. The weather was cloudy, in the upper 20s, and the grooming had just been finished just a couple of hours earlier. It was a great run, so we drove back and added a few more miles to finish out the day.
Day four was forecasted to turn sunny, so Susan and Russ went to Big Mt. with their downhill gear while the rest of us headed to “Going to the Sun Road” in West Glacier. The skiing was cold, very icy, and hard-packed, but the views made up for the conditions. We arrived back at McDonald Lodge, dropped down to the lake, and were blown away by the views of the lake in the afternoon sun.
With fresh snow in the forecast on day five, Russ had talked to several skiers that recommended we head south and ski the Blacktail Nordic Trails on our drive south to Missoula. We arrived to find several inches of fresh snow and freshly groomed tracks, but the temperature was already about 30F at 10am. We waxed up our skis and headed off on a ten-mile loop of great terrain. It continued to snow as the day went on, but it was getting very sticky in the 35-degree temps. We only saw five other skiers the entire day and could see why the locals love the ski area–a hidden gem.
The sixth day brought overcast skies and below-freezing temps in Missoula. On a hot tip from the local ski club, we headed to Seeley Lake Nordic, where the trails were designed by an Olympic cross-country skier to be skied in one direction and loops. It was freshly groomed and had about eight cars in the parking area when we arrived. We enjoyed the grooming, the trails, and first-rate trail markings. Each junction had distance markings and a map to get you back to the trailhead. All around our best skiing in Montana so far!
What to do on our last day? While Russ, Becky, and Susan wanted a day off from driving, I had a burning desire to try one more area. Liz, Mike, and I drove an hour and a half southeast to Echo Lake Nordic’s groomed trails and incredible views. We arrived to find 6 inches of Powder, blue skies, and 23-degree weather. We hit the jackpot! My best day of the trip. If you have the time, this is the one to visit.
Russ, Becky, and Susan hiked 7 miles round-trip to the top of the hill overlooking Missoula.
Skiing and exploring the trails of western Montana was a success and increased my desire to explore more of these gems. It is such a joy to find each of these small communities that groom and maintain trail systems with the support and backing of the Forest Service. Thanks to Susan, Russ, Becky, Mike, and Liz for following along on my quest for the pot of gold.
LINKS: Glacier Nordic Club • Mile High Nordic • Bitter Root Ski ClubMissoula Nordic Club • Spokane Nordic • Seeley Lake Nordic Club • Round Mountain Ski Trail
